St Mark's Church Garden of Remembrance

We are especially proud of our Garden of
Remembrance at St Mark's Church. This provides a place for interment of
cremated remains in a consecrated place of rest. We also have a beautiful
memorial wall upon which plaques are fixed commemorating the lives of loved
ones. This page describes our garden and
gives details about interments,
memorials and flowers.
Another page gives helpful information for
those who have suffered bereavement, including prayers and readings as well
as practical advice. There is also advice for those wishing to
establish a Garden of Remembrance in their
own church.

The Garden is always open and we welcome
visitors. Security lighting illuminates the whole garden during the hours of
darkness. CCTV covers the site, with infra-red monitoring at night.

These pictures show the Garden of Remembrance at St. Mark’s. Built in
1992 after careful consultation with experts and landscaping contractors it
is now a place specially designed for interment of ashes. With a fountain
and many beautiful plants the Garden is a welcoming environment for those
remembering a loved one. Access is easy for wheelchairs throughout the
Garden.

Development

Over the past few years we have seen the Garden at St Mark's grow and
develop and become a treasured place. Many people have valued the
opportunity to be buried in consecrated ground and the security which
this gives. Once buried in consecrated ground your remains will not be
removed after a number of years and the land will not be used for
another purpose.

Consecration provides the most protection available in English law
that your loved ones will not be disturbed.

St Mark’s Church has built a magnificent granite columbaria to offer
interment in a consecrated vault. Each vault will accommodate up to four
sets of ashes and a plaque can be inscribed with a suitable words in
memory of the person who has died.

The columbaria was consecrated in June 2007 and offers the unique
quality of exclusive rights of burial in perpetuity. In commercial
cemeteries families are usually offered rights for a period of time,
perhaps 40 years, after which the ashes are removed and the vault sold
to somebody else. St Mark’s can guarantee that the remains of our loved
ones will rest undisturbed for all time. Now our loved ones really can
Rest in Peace.

The picture shows the inscribed granite plaques on which the names
are recorded of people whose ashes are buried at St Mark's. The
individual plots are sufficient for the burial of two wooden caskets.
Once buried they will remain in place for ever. There is no lease
arrangement of 50 or 70 years as this is consecrated ground.

The Garden has been designed to produce quiet reflective areas of
beauty, where you can stop and sit on the benches.

The Garden has some special features, often donated in memory of a
loved one. This beautiful fountain shares the same technology provided
for our other water features, it is activated as you pass, so that it is
'always on.'

Water features are a special part of our Garden. This one holds a
secret, it is home to frogs which are welcome friends in our Garden as
they eat slugs. We provide a special frog ladder to help the frogs in
and out of the water tank under the huge Sandstone millstone which was
imported from India.

The Garden is never closed and there is always a quiet corner in
which to sit

The memorial wall is located in the garden extension which was
consecrated in 2003.

You may have a plaque inscribed in memory of a loved one who has
died. Even if a person is buried They may be buried elsewhere, we will
be pleased to arrange an inscription.

You are invited to leave floral tributes on the individual memorial
stones. These are taken in each evening to avoid the Garden becoming
overcrowded or untidy. The flowers are placed on our prayer table in the
foyer of the church.

St Mark's has now also established a woodland burial site at Keysoe in
Bedfordshire.

More photographs

Light In Our Darkness

Jesus said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows
me will never walk in darkness,
but will have the light of life. John Chapter 8:12

Lighting a candle of prayer

Each Sunday we light a candle and remember in prayer people who have died
and pray for them and their loved ones. Why do we light a candle? The candle
represents the light of Christ which eternally shines and brings hope. Jesus
Christ is the light of the world, a light which no darkness can quench.

Lighting a candle is a prayer: When we have gone it stays alight,
kindling in the hearts and minds of others the prayers we have already
offered for them and for others.

Lighting a candle is a parable: burning itself out it gives light to
others. Christ gave himself for others. He calls us to give ourselves.

Lighting a candle is a symbol: of love and hope, of light and warmth.
Our world needs them all.

You turn our darkness into light, in your light shall
we see light.

If you would like us to light a candle in our chapel for you in
remembrance of a loved one please email us and we will be pleased to pray
for you. You are also welcome to attend our service of commemoration of the
souls of the faithful departed each year on the first Sunday in November.
Please contact us for further details.

ThisisChurch.com acknowledges the following websites which you may also find helpful in considering the lectionary this week:- www.bbc.co.uk/religion, www.textweek.com, www.lectionary.org, www.gbod.org/worship, www.methodist.org.uk, www.churchtimes.co.uk, http://www.cofe.anglican.org